A sweeping national security law that will soon be imposed on Hong Kong will be "like installing anti-virus software", a top Beijing official said Monday, in a speech that warned democracy protesters had gone "too far". The comments by Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and...

Three leaders have been left dominating the jihadist insurgency in the Sahel, following the death of a top al Qaeda commander in the West African state of Mali this week. French forces killed Algerian national Abdelmalek Droukdel, the head of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), in a...

An Iranian scientist returned home Monday after his release from a US jail in what state media said was a prisoner exchange Tehran hopes can be repeated between the arch-foes. Majid Taheri -- an Iranian-American who had been working at a clinic in Tampa, Florida -- had been detained in the...

The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 7 million early Monday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. The university's data showed that the global tally of fatalities had reached 402,730, while the number of recoveries...

Palestinian business owners in occupied east Jerusalem are worried they will be forced to shut up shop by Israeli authorities over plans to build a vast high tech hub in their neighbourhood. The main thoroughfare through the Wadi el-Joz area, close to Jerusalem's Old City, is lined by...

A storm causing heavy rain and coastal flooding in the southern state of Louisiana is expected to weaken into a tropical depression in "the next several hours," the US National Hurricane Center said Monday. Tropical Storm Cristobal was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour...

The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 7 million early Monday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. The university's data showed that the global tally of fatalities had reached 402,730, while the number of recoveries topped...

Councilors in the US city of Minneapolis pledged late Sunday to dismantle and rebuild the police department, after the death in custody of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests about racism in law enforcement, pushing the issue onto the national political agenda. Floyd was killed on May...

Most people arriving in Britain from Monday will have to self-isolate for two weeks under a new coronavirus restriction that has been roundly condemned by the ailing aviation sector. The measure, which applies to both residents and visitors with some exceptions, aims to prevent a second...

Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool should play Everton at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby instead of the game being switched to a neutral venue as local authorities can now provide a safe environment, Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said Sunday. Liverpool will resume their quest...

Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell endorsed Democratic former US Vice President Joe Biden Sunday, becoming the first major Republican to publicly back Donald Trump's rival ahead of November's election. Powell, who led the US military during the...

Democrats vowed Sunday to press legislation to undo systemic racism in US law enforcement as the battle for change triggered by the police killing of George Floyd began shifting from the streets to the political sphere. After another day of overwhelmingly peaceful protests across the US,...

More than 16,000 Libyans have been displaced during recent battles that saw forces of the UN-recognised government wrest back control of western Libya from strongman Khalifa Haftar, the UN said Sunday. The UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement it was "alarmed by the harm...

Government forces captured the city of Ja'ar in Yemen's southern Abyan province on Sunday, according to a government source. The city fell to government forces after fierce clashes with fighters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE),...

The number of global novel coronavirus cases surpassed 6.91 million, while the death toll topped 400,000 mark on Sunday, according to a running tally by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. The data showed that the worldwide number of recoveries exceeded 3.09 million. The US remains...

Istanbul residents flocked to the city’s shores and parks on the first weekend with no coronavirus lockdown, prompting a reprimand from the country's health minister who warned that the COVID-19 pandemic still poses a threat. Images on social media and in the news media showed crowds...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged world powers Sunday to reimpose tough sanctions against Iran, vowing to curb Tehran's regional "aggression" hours after another deadly strike on pro-Iranian fighters in Syria. "The International Atomic Energy Agency has determined that Iran...

Iran's health ministry said Sunday a surge in new reported coronavirus infections was due to increased testing rather than a worsening outbreak. After hitting a near two-month low in early May and a lifting of tough movement restrictions, cases of the COVID-19 illness have been rising in...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the recent police killing of an autistic Palestinian man was unjustified and a "tragedy", offering his condolences to the bereaved family. Israeli police shot 32-year-old Iyak Hallak in Jerusalem on May 30 while he was walking to...

Several thousand Israelis demonstrated Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to extend sovereignty over parts of the occupied West Bank, de-facto annexation of land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Protesting in face masks and keeping their distance from each...